Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Hi everyone!! So, a few weeks ago I ordered some cardboard First In First Out (FIFO) can organizers. I have been so tired of removing entire shelves of store-bought food jars to add a few new cans to the back of the stack. It's just way too much work when you have lots of food storage. But, I'm determined to keep my food rotated by date. I had looked at a few places that sell FIFO organizers and some were too pricey for me. I also thought about making a wooden FIFO shelf by myself as there are lots of plans available on the internet, but I came back to reality and remembered that I am not a builder! (And hubby has way too many projects on his plate!) Then, I found thecanorganizer.com, which is the company that sells the strong cardboard FIFO shelves. What a wonderful invention!! They're strong enough to hold lots of cans, easy to put together (after you figure out their very bad directions), and fit neatly on a shelf. The picture above was taken after I'd started filling some of them as they sat on the floor.

The organizers come in two different sizes. The larger pantry size, which I purchased, is big enough to hold 16 of the 15 or 16 oz. jars of food. The 20 or 24 oz. jars also fit (beef stew cans), but 29 and 30 oz. jars of Aldi fruit were too big. The boxes come in 4-packs that sell for just under $16.00, which I thought was quite a good price. You do have to pay hefty shipping, but you also get a discount when you order in larger quantities. I'm hoping that, with good care, these boxes will last for years to come.

Please note that I receive nothing from thecanorganizer, I simply bought this product and absolutely LOVE it, and wanted you all to have a good personal review of it! (Just be forewarned of the bad instructions if you do buy them. You need to have someone around who can figure things out just by looking at them. For me, that's hubby!!)

Did you guys see this article in USA Today? It talks about how doomsday shelters--or bomb shelters--are making a comeback, but in a very expensive way!! They claim that sales have been doubling for the past 5 years! Now, I'm a prepper, but I'm certainly not falling in for a spot in a bomb shelter for $50,000 per adult, or my own personal shelter for $400,000!! Wow!! (I think that if I could afford that form of prepping, I wouldn't be buying cardboard FIFO shelves!!! :))

How is your summer prepping coming along? I hope your gardens are producing, you're finding great sales to stock up on, and that your shelves and freezers are filling up quickly!! Being busy on your homestead now will make for more relaxing days later on.

3 comments:

Like the box organizers. Curious though, do they stack on top of each other? 400,000 for a bomb shelter is insane. Wish I had that kind of money to throw around. LOL Garden is starting to produce, but not as heavily as I would like. The heat has been miserable.

Think we have a future homesteader here. My daughter got third place in her mini garden project for 4H. Not bad for 1st year. Hopefully her other projects are as successful. This 4H experience with the kids has reinforced my love of country life and homesteading.

Hey Shelly! No, they don't recommend that you stack the organizers. Yeah, can you imagine having that kind of money to 'waste'?? Crazy! I think we've picked the last of the gr. beans today. We got 99pints canned this year!! I'm ready to be done with them!! :)Congratulations to your daughter!! That is wonderful! What did she have to do?? Make a garden and bring pictures?? I'd always wanted my kids in 4-H, but there was never an opening when we were interested. I'm glad you're enjoying your country life. Isn't it the best? It just causes me to thank God everytime I'm outside enjoying what He blessed us with! Take care!!

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